Graves of sailors killed in WWII vandalised in west Belfast

A man has contacted the News Letter about two graves of sailors who died during World War Two – both of which have been subject to efforts to score out writing, and one of which has been smashed.

The man who took the photos spotted the damage in the City Cemetery on Sunday and photographed it.

The left grave is of an unknown merchant seaman, the right of sailor N MacLean, killed in a German raid.

He said it was done sometime within the last week or so, and the photograph he has taken is just a small sample of the damage – he claimed over 30 graves of sailors and soldiers bear scoring and chips, which appear to be fresh.

The man, from south Belfast, does not want to be identified for safety reasons. He is a regular visitor to the site, off the Falls Road, where some of his relatives are buried.

He said: “On occasions I have witnessed these vandals with their carryouts of alcohol. Fires are being lit.

“The whole cemetery is covered in glass and rubbish from their unchallenged behaviour.”

It happens to coincide with another account of anti-social behaviour. The BelfastLive website quoted Catholic priest Martin Magill on Sunday as saying there had been “large numbers of teenagers drinking, smashing bottles, dancing on graves, and a large speaker booming out music”. He said a dedicated group should be set up to combat it, “like a friends of the cemetery collective”.